Pile wire and a method of weaving pile fabrics



F. P. GROAT April 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15 1950 IITORNEK F. P. GROAT April 6, 1954 PILE WIRE AND A METHOD OF WEAVING FILE FABRICS Filed Sept. 15. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HTTORNEY- Patented Apr. 6, 1954 PILE W'IRE AND A METHOD OF WEAVING PILE FABRICS Francis P. Groat, Bloomsbnrg, Pa., assignor to The Magee Carpet Company, Bloomsburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 15, 1950, Serial No. 185,089

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved pile wire and a method of weaving a pile fabric particu larly a pile fabric having weftwise rows of tufts and intermediate rows of loops of varying height.

It is an object of the invention to provide a pile wire having high and low loop forming portions over which pile warps are looped and means at the end of the wire for cutting the loops when the wire is withdrawn, after the low loops have been raised.

A further object of invention resides in a method of weaving a pile fabric having rows of tufts and intervening rows of loops of varying height wherein the rows of tufts are formed by cutting wires having high and low loop forming portions which upon withdrawal raise the low loops, before cutting to reduce the height of those loops of the same warps in the next preceding row of loops formed by withdrawal of a non-cutting wire.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fabric being woven in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is fragmentary section of the fabric after withdrawal of the pile wires,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of a straight wire which may be employed in carrying out the method, and,

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the method of weaving a fabric with a set of cutting and straight non-cutting wires.

Referring to the drawing my improved pile wire is shown in the process of weaving a carpet having a backing of conventional construction. The pile warps of the carpet are indicated at 5 and extend between the upper and lower series of weft threads 6 and I held together by crossed binding warps 8 and 9. Stuffer warps l0 extend beneath the pile warps. In weaving a carpet on a wire loom the usual method is to raise the pile warps and then insert a pile wire in the shed formed by the raised warps. The warps are then lowered over the inserted wire and held in the backing by an upper weft thread. A series of wires are inserted in successive sheds formed by raising the pile warps and after a predetermined number of wires are woven into the fabric, the wires are successively withdrawn and re-inserted in the shed formed immediately following the last wire in a series. Generally speaking, cutting or non-cutting wires are employed depending on whether a tuft pile or loop pile surface is desired.

It is old and well known in the art to employ non-cutting wires of special shape to vary the height of the loops in each weftwise row, such as disclosed in the patent to Jackson 2,516,465. In my prior application Serial No. 119,788, I have disclosed. a non-cutting pile wire having high and low loop forming portions with a loop raising portion at its end higher than the high loop forming portions. The present invention relates to a cutting wire of similar construction to the non-cutting wire of my prior application and when employed in combination with a non-cutting wire produces a pile surface having rows of tufts and intervening rows of loops of different height.

The improved wire shown at I l is formed from a flat strip of metal or other suitable material having its upper or loop forming edge shaped to provide horizontal high and low portions i2 and I3 connected at each end by inclined portions Ill. The high portions are of uniform height whereas the low portions may be of varying heights and there may be two 10w portions of varying height intervening between two high portions. At the end of the wire is a loop raising portion l5 which is higher than the high loop forming portions 12 and at the end of portion I5 is a further raised portion it, higher than portion !5, having at its forward end a cutting edge l1. When the wire ii is inserted in the fabric being woven the pile warps are looped over the high and low portions I2 and i3 and also the inclined portions 1 1. Upon withdrawal of the wire the loops over the low and inclined portions are raised to a height corresponding to the height of the high portions and all the loops are raised to a height higher than the high portions before being severed by the cutting edge ll thus converting the row of loops into a row of tufts.

In carrying out my improved method a series of the wires 1 I are inserted in the fabric in alternation with a series of wires it! having high and low horizontal portions l9 and 2%) connected at their ends by inclined portions H. The high portions of some of the wires are in warpwise alignment with the low portions of other wires, the arrangement of the high and low portions of the wires being dependent on the pattern of the pile surface desired. The pile warps are looped over the successive pile wires forming weftwise rows of loops with the loops in each row being of varying height. Upon withdrawal of a wire 18 the low loops on the wire are raised by the inclined portions 2i to a height corresponding to the height of the high portions [5 thus forming a row 01 loops of uniform height. When the next succeeding wire I l is withdrawn the elevation of the low loops thereon will pull the pile warps of those loops, thus reducing the height of the loops of the same pile warps in the preceding row of loops formed by withdrawal of wire l8, while the high loops in the preceding row of the same pile warps looped over the high portions of wire I! will remain high, thus forming a row of high and low loops. After the low loops on wire I! are elevated all the loops are raised by the loop raising portions l5 which will pull all the warps to reduce both the high and low loops in the preceding row a corresponding distance. After the loops on wire I l are raised by portion [5 they are cut by the cutting edge 11 to form a row of tufts of greater height than the highest loops in the preceding row so that the tufts may be sheared without cutting any of the loops in the row of loops. Upon withdrawal of a wire It the raising of the low loops thereon will pull the pile warps to slightly reduce one leg of the tufts of the same pile warps in the next preceding row, as shown in Fig. 2, but those tufts of the same pile warps as the high loops on wire 58 will have legs of the same height. By this method a pile fabric may be made having alternate rows of tufts and intermediate rows of high and low loops using only a single frame of pile warps.

A variation in the foregoing method is to employ a straight pile wire 19, as shown in Fig. 3, having a horizontal loop forming edge of uniform height in combination with the wires H and I8. When using the wire l9, one wire is inserted in the fabric following each wire H and the pile warps are looped over the wire to form a weftwise row of loops of uniform height which remain at the same height when the wire is withdrawn. As the withdrawal of wire it follows the withdrawal of wire H the row of tufts formed by withdrawal of wire II will not have the legs of any tufts reduced in height when the wire I9 is withdrawn. The row of loops formed by withdrawal of wire [9' have some of loops reduced in height upon withdrawal of the following wire I8 and the row of loops formed by withdrawal of wire l8 will have some of the loops reduced in height upon withdrawal of the next following wire II. By following this method the pile surface will have two rows of loops of varying height between each two rows of tufts.

The improved wire H may be employed in combination with a straight pile wire [9' by inserting a series of wires l I and [9' in alternation, in the fabric as shown in Fig. 4. As the wires are successively inserted the pile warps 5 are looped over the wires forming weftwise rows of loops of uniform height and weftwise rows of loops of varying height in alternation. After inserting the desired number of wires they are successively withdrawn. When a wire I9 is withdrawn the loops thereon are not altered in height and form a row of loops of uniform height. Upon withdrawal of the next succeeding wire H, the loops over the low portions l3 and inclined portions [4 are raised as they ride up the inclined portions thereby pulling the warps of these loops so that the loops in the preceding row of the same pile warps are reduced in height, thus forming a row of high and low loops. After the low loops on wire II are raised to the height of the high loops on the wire all the loops are raised further by the raised portion l5 and are then cut by the cutting edge l1 to form a row of tufts of greater height than the highest loops in the preceding row. It will be apparent that when the loops on wire I I are raised by the .4 portion l5 all the warps of the loops will be pulled thereby reducing the height of all the loops in the preceding row. By this method a fabric having weftwise rows of loops of varying heights and weftwise rows of tufts, in alternation, may be made.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A pile wire for wire looms comprising a fiat strip having horizontal high and low loop forming edges and a loop raising portion at one end of the strip of greater height than the loop forming edges having a loop cutting edge.

2. A pile wire for Wire looms comprising a fiat strip having horizontal high and low loop forming edges, a loop raising portion at one end of said strip of greater height than the loop forming edges and a loop cutting edge beyond said loop raising portion.

3. A pile wire for wire looms comprising a flat strip having horizontal high and low loop forming edges connected by inclined loop raising edges, a loop raising portion of greater height than the high loop forming edges at one end of said strip and a cutting edge beyond the loop raising portion.

4. The method of weaving on a wire loom a pile fabric having rows of tufts and intermediate rows of high and low loops which comprises in serting cutting wires having high and low loop forming portions and a loop raising portion forward of the cutter of greater height than the high loop forming portions in alternation with non-cutting wires, weaving pile warps over said wires successively and successively withdrawing said wires to form Weftwise rows of tufts with intermediate rows of high and low loops, the rows of tufts being higher than the high loops of intermediate rows.

5. The method of weaving on a wire loom a pile fabric having a, pile of tufts and loops which comprises inserting cutting wires havinghigh and low loop forming portions and a loop raising por tion forward of the cutter of greater height than the high p forming portions in alternation With non-cutting wires having high and low portions, weaving pile warps over said wires successively and successively withdrawing said wires to form weftwise rows of tufts and intermediate rows of high and low loops, the rows of tufts being higher than the high loops of intermediate rows.

6. The method of weaving on a wire loom a pile fabric having a warp pile face comprising tufts and loops which comprises inserting a cutting pile wire having high and low loop forming portions and a loop raising portion forward of the cutter of greater height than the high 100p forming portions, weaving pile warps over the loop forming portions of said wire, inserting a non-cutting pile wire having high and low loop forming portions, weaving pile warps over the loop forming portions of said non-cutting wire, inserting a second cutting wire having high and low loop forming portions and a loop raising portion forward of the cutter of greater height than the high loop forming portions, weaving pile warps over the loop forming portions of said second cutting wire, withdrawing the first cutting wire to form a row of tufts, withdrawing said non-cutting wire to raise the pile warps over the low portions and reduce the height of one leg of the tufts in the preceding row of the same pile warps, and then withdrawing said second cutting wire whereby the low loops thereon are raised to reduce the loops in'the preceding 'row of the same pile warps prior to the cutting of the loops on the cutting wire.

7. The method of weaving on a wire loom a pile fabric having a backing and pile warps woven therein which comprises raising portions of the pile warps from the backing to form weftwise rows of loops of varying height, raising the low loops in each alternate row to form rows of loops of uniform height, raising the low loops in each intermediate row whereby the loops of the same pile warps in the next preceding alternate row are reduced in height, further raising all the loops in each intermediate row whereby all the loops in the next preceding alternate row are further reduced in height, cutting the loops in intermediate rows to form rows of tufts, the tufts in each row of the same pile warps as the low loops in the next succeeding alternate row having one leg reduced when the low loops in the alternate row are raised.

8. The method of weaving on a wire loom a pile fabric having a backing and pile warps woven therein which comprises raising portions of the pile warps from the backing to form weftwise rows of loops, each alternate row of loops having high and low loops, successively raising the low loops in each alternate row whereby the loops of the same pile warps in the next preceding intermediate row of loops are reduced in height further raising all the loops in each alternate row, and simultaneously cutting the loops in the alternate rows to form rows of tufts.

9. A set of pile wires adapted to be used in a wire loom to produce a pile floor covering having a repeat surface pattern composed of tufts and groups of high and low pile loops, said set including cutting and non-cutting wires arranged in alternation, the cutting wires having high loop forming portions, low loop forming portions between the high portions, inclined loop raising portions connecting the low portions to adjacent high portions and a loop raising portion forward of the cutter higher than the high loop forming portions, the relative positions of said high portions and low portions of the cutting wires corresponding to the relative positions of high and low loops in said pattern.

10. A set of pile wires adapted to be used in a wire loom to produce a pile floor covering having a repeat surface pattern composed of tufts and groups of high and low pile loops, said set in-- cluding cutting and non-cutting wires arranged in alternation, the cutting wires having high loop forming portions, low loop forming portions between the high portions connected with the high portions by inclined loop raising portions and a loop raising portion forward of the cutter higher than the high loop forming portions, the non-cutting wires having high loop forming portions and low loop forming portions between the high portions connected with the high portions by inclined loop raising portions, the relative positions of the high portions and low portions of said cutting wires corresponding to the relative positions of the high and low loops in said pattern.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 440,593 Harrison Nov. 11, 1890 2,164,090 Shuttleworth June 27, 1939 2,516,465 Jackson July 25, 1950 2,546,261 Groat Mar. 27, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 731,216 France May 24, 1932 

